Trovagene, Inc. and the PIO XII Foundation, affiliated with Brazil’s Barretos Cancer Hospital, today announced that they entered into a research collaboration to evaluate the performance of a urine-based molecular assay for detection of HPV types associated with cervical lesions. The goal of the study is to determine whether this assay can potentially replace Pap smears as the primary screen for cervical cancer risk in Brazil’s healthcare system. Barretos Cancer Hospital, Brazil’s preeminent center for oncology research and cancer treatment, will conduct the study using Trovagene’s proprietary, urine-based method for determining the presence of high risk HPV types, allowing for completely non-invasive HPV carrier screening.

HPV infections are the leading cause of cervical cancer. In medically underserved regions, traditional screening methods to detect elevated risk of cervical cancer, such as a Pap smear, are not broadly available. In Brazil, cervical cancer is the second most frequent tumor type in women and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women 14 to 44 years of age. Brazil has placed special emphasis on programs to improve HPV screening to address this pressing healthcare need.

"We are excited to begin this important clinical trial using Trovagene’s proprietary urine-based HPV assay," says Adhemar Longatto Filho, M.Sc., Ph.D., PMIAC, from the Laboratory of Medical Investigation at the University of Sao Paulo and principal investigator for the study at Barretos Cancer Hospital. "This study can pave the way to make HPV screening broadly available to medically underserved patients in our region. Our goal is to provide patients with non-invasive testing options to determine their HPV risk factor and significantly improve women’s healthcare in Brazil."

"We are committed to work with Barretos Cancer Hospital to study the performance of our proprietary HPV assay in Brazil. Improved logistics, reduced costs and increased compliance can significantly increase HPV screening rates and save lives," states Antonius Schuh, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Trovagene. “This collaboration with Barretos is another important step towards making Trovagene’s non-invasive HPV carrier screen available in key healthcare markets globally.”

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